Dr. Earl Honeycutt, professor of business administration, has had his article, “The SErvice Recovery Paradox: Justifiable Theory or Smoldering Myth?” accepted by the Journal of Services Marketing. The article was written with Vince Magnini at Longwood University and John Ford and Ed Markowski at Old Dominion University. A copy of the abstract is below:
Abstract
The recovery paradox theory advances the contention that if a service firm exhibits an excellent recovery in the event of a service failure, then the customer’s satisfaction may exceed pre-failure levels. While a number of researchers have provided evidence in support of the recover paradox, several recent studies have failed to find such support. This study theoretically and empirically examines factors that moderate the occurence of a ‘recovery paradox’ in the event of a service failure. Research findings indicate that, under appropriate conditions, a custoer can experience a paradoxical satisfaction increase after a service failure.
Basically, how do consumers respond to service firm efforts to recover from inevitable service failures–cable not working in a hotel room or unsatisfactory service in a restaurant. If the service firm can correct the situation quickly and to the satisfaction of the consumer, overall satisfaction can occur. When there are excessive service failures, it is unlikely the firm can recover!